


Revenge of Team Rocket

by meowthwillrise



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Explicit Language, F/M, Mild Sexual Content, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-04-14 05:43:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14129334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meowthwillrise/pseuds/meowthwillrise
Summary: Sequel to my previous story, Team Rocket's Victory. Heroes and villains have to work together once again when Giovanni decides to take vengeance on his former agents. A mission that will change all of their lives... forever.P.S.- This is a multi-chapter story with.. goodness knows how many chapters, so stay tuned for more!





	1. Battle of the Year

** Chapter 1: Battle of the Year **

“Come on, James! If you don’t hurry up we’re gonna be late!”

“Jessie, we’re already late! I’m running as fast as I can!”

 

It was the day anticipated by every trainer and Pokemon in the entire Kanto region; the day of the Indigo League finals. Two trainers, one battle, and the title of champion. Some may even call the winner of this challenge a Pokemon Master. Crowds of region dwellers arrived to watch the showdown, along with tourists who’ve traveled from far and wide. The anticipation of the most important Pokemon battle of the year brought thousands of people to the Indigo Plateau stadium. Although by this point in the day, the majority of the audience was already comfortable in their seats, ready to watch the match…

 

… Except for the two former villains, who were sprinting from the parking lot up to the front doors of the stadium, hoping there were still tickets available for purchase. This was one battle they couldn’t miss; it was their closest friend Rhia’s second Pokemon league tournament. The first one she participated in was the Hoenn League, and she won the final round with flying colors. Unfortunately, Jessie and James weren’t in contact with Rhia at the time of her first victory. However, their entire lives have changed since that fateful moment they all reunited nearly three years ago. Now, Jessie and James are living the high life in a beautiful estate, running a luxurious Pokemon daycare facility together out of the comfort of their own home. The daycare business was originally Meowth’s idea, but he left the endeavor up for his human partners to manage while he went on a little venture of his own. Ever since he was young, love had always been one of Meowth’s biggest motivators, typically influencing his actions and the path he takes in his strange little life. After falling in love with Rhia’s main Poke-partner, Beauty, he refused to ever leave her side; leading him to make the decision to travel with the girls on their journey of the Kanto region. Jessie and James haven’t seen Meowth in nearly a year since he’s been traveling, so the excitement and worry surging through their bones gave them a concerning amount of adrenaline.

 

As her flowing, red locks flew effortlessly behind her, Jessie bolted through the heavy front door right into the reception area of the stadium. James was running centimeters behind his spirited lover, which resulted in him getting smacked down by the door as it quickly swung closed in front of him. Jessie was immediately greeted by a startled Officer Jenny.

 

“Uh, welcome in..? Are you two here to watch the Pokemon League finals?” stated Jenny, looking puzzled at the tardy couple.

 

“No, we’re here to rob the place. What do you think? Of course we’re here to watch the finals! Now let us through before we miss the introductions!” Jessie shouted, fuming and frustrated. At the sight of his partner becoming enraged, James quickly picked himself up and rushed to her side before things got ugly.

 

“Calm down miss,” Jenny said casually, “I hate to tell you, but unfortunately we sold out of tickets an hour ago.”

 

“WHAT?!?!” screamed Jessie at the top of her lungs, appearing as if she was about to tackle the Poke-police officer on sight. With not a moment to spare, James intervened.

 

“Excuse me, ma’am,” the lavender-haired man said cautiously, “is there any way you could make an exception for us? You see, our dear friend Rhia is participating in the battle, and we absolutely can’t miss it!” Officer Jenny’s eyes widened as soon as she heard James’ words.

 

“You two are friends of a contestant? Why didn’t you just say so in the first place? Let’s see… I have your reserved tickets right here! A finalist is allowed to reserve as many seats for friends and family as they want, so your pal Rhia definitely had you both in mind!” Jenny handed them the tickets with a grin. Jessie and James glanced at each other, both wearing a look of relief on their faces. They simultaneously thanked the officer, and rushed towards the entry hall of the impeccable stadium. As they headed towards the main concessions area, James received a call on his cell phone.

 

He answered, “Hello?”

 

“James!” a voice shouted urgently on the other line, “It’s Brock! Where are you guys? The battle is about to start!”

 

“We just got inside, we’ll be there right away,” James responded.

 

“Alright, head to the front row of the left wing, I saved seats for you two. Ugh, I had a feeling you guys would show up late…” Click. James did not hear the rest of Brock’s complaint, because he unconsciously hung up the phone. His and Jessie’s minds were instantly distracted; right in front of them were dozens of gourmet, greasy food stands. Popcorn, corndogs, pretzels, ice cream, pizza, among plenty of other options available to them. The best part was that no thievery was necessary - the couple had been earning thousands of dollars a month from their at-home business, so they could afford anything they wanted. Just like kids in a candy store, Jessie and James went wild… buying ridiculously unnecessary amounts of snacks, entirely forgetting the huge rush they were in minutes prior.

 

A voice echoed through the loudspeaker, “One minute until the battle begins! Get ready for the fight of the year! One more minute, everyone!” Jessie and James were immediately snapped out of their food-induced trance.

 

“ONE MINUTE?!” the couple shouted in unison as they looked at one another fearfully. Carrying copious amounts of unhealthy food in their arms, Jessie and James ran as fast as their legs could carry them towards the seating area of the stadium.

 

With only a few moments to spare, Jessie and James located Brock sitting in the front row, with two empty seats to his right. They quickly hobbled down the steep staircase towards him, and noticed a familiar redhead seated to the left of him. Trying not to spill their slushies, the couple sat down next to Brock.

 

“Sorry we’re late,” James apologized, “We didn’t get the news that Rhia was in the Pokemon League finals until the very last minute.”

 

“She called us just this morning, to be exact,” added Jessie as she glanced in the direction of the all-too-familiar girl sitting next to Brock, “Hey, twerpette! What on earth are you doing here?”

 

The welcoming grin on Misty’s face quickly transformed into a frown. “Gee, it’s great to see you too Team Rocket,” the redhead said sarcastically.

 

“Pardon me, but for your information, we quit Team Rocket a long time ago! You were there, twerpette!” Jessie responded irritatedly.

 

James chimed in as he lifted his nose high into the air, “Yeah, and we have names you know! But in all seriousness, why _are_ you here? Did you come to see Rhia win the Indigo League?”

 

Misty glanced off into the distance, with a sly grin on her face, “Well, not necessarily… just wait ‘till you see who Rhia’s opponent is in the finals!” Brock mirrored her smirk as he heard Misty’s words. Jessie and James looked at each other confusedly, but had no time to further inquire about Misty’s presence. The announcer’s voice came on the loudspeaker and her image projected on the jumbotron; the battle was about to begin.

 

“Greetings trainers and Pokemon alike!” the announcer began her typical rehearsed speech, “Welcome to the final round of the Kanto league! Wow, what a turnout this year! I think we broke last year’s record of attendance! Today we get to see who will become this year’s champion; who will be talented enough to enter the Hall of Fame? But without further ado, let’s begin!”

 

The battlefield inside the stadium was enormous, boasting several different types of terrain including a small body of water, stacks of boulders, dirt, and grass. The grounds for battle were diverse, which gave certain types of Pokemon advantages as well as disadvantages. Directly below where Brock, Misty, Jessie, and James were seated, was an archway in which the trainer from the blue corner enters the battlefield. On the opposing side, was the red corner; both possessing a small, square platform where the trainer resides for the duration of the battle.

 

The announcer continued, “Alright! In the blue corner, we have a veteran Pokemon League champion! From winning the Hoenn league nearly three years ago, she decided she wanted a shot at a second victory; let’s give it up for Rhia!” The beautiful trainer strutted confidently onto the platform wearing a blue, sparkling ball gown, which was far too fancy for the occasion; she never failed to steal the show. Next to Rhia was her prized Delcatty, Beauty, whom she’s been partners with since she began her very first Pokemon journey. On the trainer’s other side, was none other than ex-Team Rocket member Meowth, who was looking as prideful as ever and eager for a fight. At the sight of seeing their two best friends on the Pokemon League stage, Jessie and James went haywire with excitement, jumping out of their seats and nearly falling meters down onto the battlefield.

 

“GO MEOWTH!!! GO RHIA!!! Look up here! It’s us! Hey!” James cheered while waving his hands in the air, trying to grab the attention of his friends.

 

“WOO!! YEAH!! You guys better kick some ass and do whatever you gotta do to win, or else!!” shouted Jessie, while clapping her hands louder than any other person in the audience.

 

Brock was last to send out his encouraging message, “You’ve got this, my love! I know you’ll put on an amazing show!” Misty, however, stayed in her seat and simply clapped as Rhia entered the stadium.

 

Rhia took a deep breath as her, Meowth, and Beauty walked onto the platform. Today was the day… where she had to make the biggest sacrifice of her life. She glanced down at Beauty, who looked back up at her trainer endearingly with small tears in her eyes. Rhia bent down to pet the glamourous cat, then turned to Meowth. “Do you remember what we agreed on?” she asked him quietly.

 

“Yeah, but I sure don’t like it,” Meowth said with a hint of spite in his voice, “But I understand where ya comin’ from wit dis. I’ll try to go easy on em’,” the former villain reached his paw out to Rhia. The buddies did a slightly complex handshake, and smiled as Rhia stood back up and waved around to everyone in the audience.

 

The announcer then began to introduce the opposing trainer, “Now, in the red corner, we have a local trainer! Coming straight from Pallet Town, please welcome the one, the only; Ash Ketchum!” With Pikachu by his side, Ash casually waltzed on stage, waving with one hand to the audience.

 

Misty cheered loudly, clapped vigorously, and gave her old friend Ash a standing ovation, with Brock doing the same. Jessie and James, however, were frozen in their seats. Unmoving, in absolute disbelief that Rhia and Meowth were up against the twerp and his Pikachu. They recalled the hundreds, thousands of times they were shocked by a thunderbolt and blasted into the sky years ago, and could only imagine the same fate for their friends.

 

Brock took notice to James and Jessie’s white faces and silence next to him. He asked cautiously, “Um, are you guys okay?” He was met with a fit of fiery rage from Jessie.

 

“Are we okay?! OF COURSE WE’RE NOT OKAY! Meowth and Rhia are battling the twerp! Is there any reason why we _should_ be okay with this?!” Jessie screamed as she bolted up from her seat, drawing a whole lot of attention to herself.

 

“Woah Jessie, calm down!” Brock said calmly, “It was actually Rhia’s idea for Ash to give the Indigo League another shot.” Hearing this, Jessie’s anger quickly turned to confusion.

 

“Huh?” James looked up from his fearful trance directly to Brock, “What do you mean it was her idea?”

 

“Well you see, once Rhia earned all eight of her badges, we headed to Pallet Town to further practice her skills before the Pokemon league began. While we were there, we ran into Ash, and she convinced him to give the league another shot after he lost so many years ago. He agreed, now here we are. Ash and Rhia, battling for a place in the Hall of Fame,” Brock smiled proudly. Jessie and James blinked their eyes an unnecessary amount of times, and were left absolutely speechless. They stared off into the distance towards the center of the battlefield, unknowing of how to feel about this royally screwed-up situation.

 

Rhia smirked confidently, “See Ash? I told you we’d have a rematch someday!” she shouted across the battlefield to her opponent.

 

“Yeah, you were right! But who would’ve ever thought it’d be in the final round of the Pokemon League,” Ash responded with a laugh. The former enemies grinned proudly at one another.

 

“Now that we’ve introduced our trainers, let the battle BEGIN!” A scoreboard appeared on the jumbotron, with Ash and Rhia’s pictures on opposing sides. The most important battle of both of their lives was finally happening.

 

* * *

 

“Go, Toothless! Let’s kick this battle into gear!” Rhia tossed a blue-and-white speckled pokeball high into the air, and a massive Gyarados appeared from the flash. Toothless roared with confidence, feeling the positive vibes emanating off his trainer. Meanwhile, in the stands, Misty jumped from her seat at the sight of Rhia’s first battler.

 

“Oh, look at that! Rhia has a Gyarados too! Isn’t it beautiful?” the water Pokemon trainer was in awe with the menacing beast.

 

Ash grinned for a moment as he contemplated his own choice of which Pokemon to send out first. “Alright then! Lycanroc, I choose you!” he shouted as he released the rock-type canine from its pokeball, “Use rock throw!” In an instant, Toothless was hit with a massive amount of boulders, knocking at least half the health out of him.

 

“Nice try, Ash,” Rhia said smugly as Toothless bounced back from the attack, “but I think we have the upper hand here. Toothless, use hydro pump!” A rushing vortex of water erupted from the sea-dragon’s mouth; the most swift hydro pump Ash had ever seen. Without a second to think or even dodge the move, Lycanroc was hit directly, knocking him out cold... with type advantages to blame. Even though Ash’s Pokemon fainted first, this small setback wasn’t going to drown his spirits of winning.

 

“You did great; Lycanroc, return!” Ash said kindly as he had the fainted Pokemon return to his safe-and-sound Pokeball. “Alright,” he said, “if we’re gonna battle that way, might as well fight water with grass! Go, Sceptile!” A relaxed, bipedal, lizard-like creature appeared from the pokeball. Rhia gasped; _come on, anything but grass_ , she thought to herself. “Leaf blade, let’s go!” Ash yelled excitedly, as Sceptile sprinted towards Toothless with gleaming green swords on his arms, heading straight towards him. With one quick swipe of the blades, Toothless hit the ground, falling unconscious instantly. Ash and Rhia were now tied; having five Pokemon each left to battle with.

 

The battle for victory continued in a similar fashion for quite some time; Ash and Rhia taking turns defeating each other’s Pokemon. Both trainer’s skills combined made for a suspenseful battle, having every audience member on the edge of their seat. The only person certain of the outcome was Rhia and her Pokemon partners, as well as Brock. Her and Meowth simultaneously turned on their shoulder and shot a thumbs up to Jessie and James sitting in the stands directly above them.

 

“Come on you two! Annihilate that twerp!” James yelled down to his friends, with not a hint of spite in his voice. Him and Jessie had finally realized that Ash was no longer a threat to them, Meowth, or Rhia; simply a friendly rival.

 

Meowth grinned menacingly and shouted back, “We got dis Jimmy, don’t worry dat pretty blue head ‘a yours!”

 

“It’s lavender!”

 

Seconds later, Rhia released her next Pokemon, “Alright Magic, it’s your time to shine,” from the pokeball appeared an abnormally large Alakazam, holding gold spoons in his hands rather than the usual silver. The audience oooo'd and ahhhh’d at the sight of this strange psychic-type creature. Magic stood completely still, staring Sceptile down from across the battlefield. Rhia was silent as well, giving no starting commands to her Pokemon even though it was her turn to attack first… she just smiled.

 

 _Wow, that Alakazam sure has changed since I last saw it. And why is it staring us down like that? This is getting weird.. I’d better attack first,_ Ash thought to himself. He felt his stomach drop as he looked into the emotionless eyes of the intimidating Pokemon.

 

“Sceptile, use night slash,” Ash commanded, yet his Pokemon had absolutely no reaction; Sceptile just stood there, unmoving, as if he was in some sort of trance. “Sceptile, what’s wrong?!” Ash shouted in a panic, trying to grab his Pokemon’s attention. Suddenly, Magic’s eyes began glowing a creepy blood-red as it raised the spoons in its hands upward. In a single swift motion, Sceptile levitated far into the air, moving in the same direction as Magic moved his hands. Back and forth, in circles, up and down, the grass-lizard was flying in midair every possible direction. Ash’s jaw dropped, he had no control when it came battling against this powerful psychic creature.

 

The audience, as well as the announcer, were clearly in shock as well. “I’ve never seen anything like it! Complete silence and not a single command being told, yet Magic has total control over Sceptile! What a sight! The rumors must be true, Rhia really _can_ speak to Pokemon using her thoughts!” the announcer commented. As the audience roared with applause, Magic brought Sceptile down abruptly, causing him to crash face down into a boulder. The grass-type snapped out of his trance for a moment, then fell to his knees, fainting on sight.

 

“...Did that really just happen?” Jessie asked Brock in disbelief. She knew Rhia was a strong trainer, but never figured she could communicate with Pokemon using only her mind.

 

Brock smiled ever-so-proudly, “My girl’s pretty damn incredible! Incredibly gorgeous too!” Jessie rolled her eyes. _Ew, young love._

_“_ You tried your best; Sceptile return!” Ash said somewhat defeatedly as he brought back his Pokemon for a good rest. “I won’t give up that easily, go for it Staraptor!” The large black-and-white bird Pokemon took the stage with a squawk.

 

Meowth turned to Rhia, “You ‘tink da twerps gonna figure out what we’re doin’?”

 

“Not at all,” Rhia responded affirmatively, “He’s not stupid, but he certainly won’t over-analyze our strategy.”

 

“Go, use close combat, quick!” Ash abruptly commanded his Pokemon’s first attack, and once again, Magic stood still. Unlike Sceptile, Staraptor was not put in any sort of trance or suspicious state of mind. The bird-like Pokemon zipped across the battlefield and began to throw brutal kicks and slaps at his opponent, one right after the other with no stops or pauses whatsoever. Magic did not fight back. Staraptor continued this close-combat attack with ease, but found itself slightly tired after attacking with full power over and over again. Once Staraptor stopped attacking and flew back for a moment, Magic dramatically collapsed to the ground and fainted… in a quite abnormal manner.

 

“Oh no, poor Magic,” Rhia cried as she placed a hand over her head in obvious fake despair, “Return my dear, you did a wonderful job!” The audience, along with Ash, appeared very confused regarding why the psychic Pokemon was so powerful minutes ago, but yet so helpless this time around.

 

“Aye, actin’ queen,” Meowth hastily whispered to Rhia, “Quit wit da dramatics, will ya? Dere’ startin’ to get suspicious! Save dat shit for Pokemon contests!” The talking Pokemon’s harsh words snapped Rhia out of her current mental state. She immediately realized her error and nodded her head in agreement; she couldn’t blow her well-articulated plan.

 

“Now Rocky, it’s your turn!” With type advantages in her mind once again, Rhia released a great ball high into the air, revealing a rock-solid Golem.

 

Behind Rhia in the stands, Brock jumped up from his seat, similar to how Misty had before. “Yeah! That’s my girl! Using a rock type just like your beloved boyfriend Brock!” When Misty noticed how much attention Brock was drawing to himself, she utilized her age-old trick and roughly pulled him down by his ear, shutting him up instantly.

 

“We get it Brock! You like Rhia a lot, now give it a rest!” Misty yelled at him, clearly annoyed.

 

“But I love her!” he cried in agony.

 

With not a moment to spare, Rhia commanded an attack first. “Use rock slide, and don’t stop!” Rocky threw boulders in all directions, careless to whether they hit Staraptor or not.

 

“Great job, Staraptor! Keep dodging!” Ash shouted proudly. The bird Pokemon used its speed to its advantage and continuously avoided the plethora of boulders being tossed around him. “Now use steel wing!” Staraptor headed in Rocky’s direction at full speed, its wings glowing a shiny silver. As soon as the bird was about to hit the bulky Golem with full-force power, Rocky tossed a giant stone right into Staraptor’s head, causing him to fly far backwards, hitting the stadium wall in the process. “Oh no! Staraptor!” Ash yelled, concerned for his Pokemon’s well-being. The bird Pokemon opened its eyes for a moment, then they quickly transformed into spirals. Ash was down another Pokemon, and Rhia was in the lead once again.

 

“Ugh, no time to hesitate now. I’m not giving up!” Ash boasted, sounding determined as ever, “Kingler, use hydro pump on Rocky!” With not a second to lose, Ash released another pokeball from his belt, and Kingler shot an enormous cannon of water at its rock-type opponent. Rhia had no time to counter attack, which resulted in Rocky fainting as soon as he was hit; water-types have a major advantage against him.

 

Rhia had Rocky return to his pokeball, and smirked in Ash’s direction, “Alright, now we’re tied! You’re finally playing smart and not so risky like before,” The glamorous Pokemon trainer reached into her bag and pulled out a familiar-looking master ball.

 

“Hah,” Ash shouted to his opponent, “Your Groudon doesn’t stand any sort of chance against a water type! Face it, Rhia, I’m gonna win again!”

 

In unison, Beauty, Meowth, and Rhia glanced sneakily at one another. Rhia tossed the master ball into the air with Meowth’s narration, “Just wait ‘n’ see, twerp!” The creature appearing from the rare pokeball was certainly not a Groudon. A massive, yellow bird began soaring through the sky; somehow, someway, Rhia had captured a Zapdos.

 

“Lightning, you know what to do. Strike that crab down with thunder!” Rhia pointed her finger straight towards Kingler, and a look of sheer panic mixed with shock swept across both Ash and his Pokemon’s face. Although the stadium was enclosed, a black cloud engulfed nearly the entire building. Reflecting almost the same level of power as Pikachu, a massive bolt of electricity struck down from the sky, zapping Kingler to a mere crisp. Ash’s eyes widened and immediately withdrew his fainted Pokemon from further harm.

 

“...Wha… How did you… How on _Earth_ do you keep capturing legendary Pokemon?!” Ash screamed in complete disbelief to Rhia. It boggled his mind how she managed to capture both a Groudon and a Zapdos. “I don’t understand! How…” Ash looked towards Zapdos direction, “Ugh, you really are something special. I knew there was a reason why I looked up to you years ago! But I won’t give up, that’s for sure. I’ve still got my _own_ secret weapon… Charizard, let’s go!” Charizard took over the battlefield and breathed a flame of pride from its mouth.

 

“Great choice, Ash,” Rhia said with a smile, “Now this battle is really getting interesting. Now Lightning, fly!” The legendary Zapdos soared speedily through the air in different directions, aiming for Ash’s Charizard.

 

“Quick, chase it away with flamethrower!” Ash shouted, and Charizard flew high into the air after Lightning. The fire-dragon and the electric-bird went head-to-head, both boasting equal power and firing immensely powerful attacks back and forth. The announcer and the audience were speechless, in awe, while watching the most intense Indigo league battle in history. Misty, Brock, Jessie, and James had their eyes glued to the match. Slowly but surely, both Charizard and Lightning grew tired, their health dwindling away with every attack. Lightning shot yet another thunderbolt in Charizard’s direction, and the dragon-like Pokemon dodged it with ease. Seeing Rhia’s Zapdos losing its focus, Ash took full advantage of the opportunity in front of him.

 

“Charizard, use fire blast then aerial ace, right now!” Ash yelled confidently. With a double, full powered final attack, Charizard had knocked Lightning unconscious. The force of two moves combined deemed too strong for the weakened legendary Pokemon to handle. Ash jumped into the air in absolute celebration; he and Rhia were tied with two Pokemon left, and his star player Pikachu hadn’t yet battled at all. _We’ve got this in the bag, unless Rhia has another crazy trick up her sleeve…_

“Both Ash and Rhia are down to two Pokemon,” the announcer narrated, “what will be the outcome of this truly epic battle? Let’s watch and see!”

 

“Are you ready for this, buddy?” Rhia said quietly to Meowth.

 

“You bet! Ready as I eva’ been,” the former villain replied. With confidence in his heart and the supporting presence of all his friends, along with his true love, Meowth casually strutted onto the battlefield. Ash looked towards the blue corner in complete disbelief.

 

“What are you doing Meowth? Can’t you see we’re in the middle of a battle?” Ash asked confusedly as Charizard chuckled.

 

Meowth grinned proudly, “Ya must be dumber ‘dan I thought twerp. I’m gonna take down ya ‘oh so powerful’ Charizard.” With this comment, Ash erupted into laughter.

 

Jessie and James were utterly shocked, and frankly, scared for Meowth’s life. _What was he thinking? What was Rhia thinking?_ “Meowth, you can’t battle! Fury swipes won’t defeat a Charizard!” James cried out.

 

“James is right, give it up and surrender while you can!” Jessie yelled as she yet again bolted up from her seat.

 

The announcer chimed in as well, “What an unexpected turn of events! Rhia is going to attempt the impossible and use a Meowth against an extremely strong Charizard! Has this trainer’s strategy crumbled under pressure?” Witnessing everyone’s reactions of pure negative criticism, Meowth felt even more inclined to prove them wrong. However, Rhia was not about to let one of her closest friends be publicly humiliated.

 

“EXCUSE ME?!” Rhia shouted at the top of her lungs, startling everyone in the stadium and immediately grabbing their attention, “Don’t you idiots ever talk about Meowth like that again! He’s my friend, and he’s _way_ more powerful than he looks. We’ve trained long and hard for this. You’ll see to never underestimate someone based on how they look! And quite frankly, he doesn’t even need my help to win. Meowth, you know what to do. You’ve got this,” Rhia gave her feline friend a thumbs up, and saw tears of gratitude gleaming in his eyes.

 

 _Wow, dis girl really believes in me,_ Meowth thought to himself as he glanced from Rhia down to Beauty, the love of his life. He felt her confidence radiating all around him, and knew that without her, he would never be as strong as he is today. Little did anyone know, besides a very select few, Meowth grew out of his disdain for battling and became very passionate about it on his journey with Beauty and Rhia. Love makes both people and Pokemon do crazy things.

 

Ash tried to make sense of the incredibly unexpected circumstances. _Who would’ve guessed I’d be battling against Team Rocket’s Meowth in the Pokemon league finals? Time really does change everything…_ he thought to himself. “Well Meowth, if you really want to battle, I’ll let you have a head start,” Ash said gently, being too courteous for Meowth’s liking.

 

“It’s our turn to go first anyways, dump twerp,” Meowth replied sarcastically, “Hope ya don’t _freeze_ under pressure!” Charizard stood completely still, anticipating a weakly executed attack from his measly opponent. “Bet’cha never woulda guessed Meowth could do dis!” The talking Pokemon pushed both of his paws out in front of him and launched an enormous, sky-blue colored streak directly at Charizard. Seconds later, the fire-dragon was frozen solid in a giant block of ice, fainting from the powerful execution of the attack. Witnessing his all-powerful Pokemon frozen and fainted in front of him, Ash fell entirely speechless.

 

“Unbelievable,” the announcer shouted as the audience chanted Meowth’s name, “Who would have ever thought a _Meowth_ could know ice beam, let alone know how to talk! Let’s give it up for the most incredible Pokemon to ever take the Indigo league stage!”

 

 _Me-owth! Me-owth!_ The talking cat looked around at the entire audience in awe; they were cheering his name while giving him a standing ovation. This was by far one of the proudest moments of his little life. Beauty pranced towards his side and rubbed her head against his as a loving form of congratulations. Meowth put his arm around his feline companion and walked back towards Rhia. The three of them knew that now it was crunch time… the moment of truth. Ignoring everything going on around them, the beautiful trainer and her two feline Poke-partners huddled together and spoke in hushed whispers.

 

“What on Earth is going on?” James commented, “First Meowth defeats Charizard in one attack, now they’re all having a gossip session in the middle of the battle?”

 

“Something about all of this is incredibly strange,” Jessie added suspiciously.

 

Meanwhile, Ash tried his absolute hardest to keep himself from worrying. _So Meowth is surprisingly a major threat, and that Delcatty is incredibly powerful… This is gonna be harder than I thought. But I still have Pikachu left, everything is gonna be okay. I’m sure of it._

_“_ You ready for this, Pikachu?” Ash asked his best friend with a smile.

 

“Pika pi!” the electric mouse responded excitedly. Pikachu hopped down from Ash’s shoulder and took his stance on the battlefield. After their ‘huddle’ was complete, Meowth walked back to his position to resume the match.

 

“Give it ya’ best shot, pipsqueak,” Meowth taunted Pikachu from afar. The two former arch-enemies smirked proudly at one another.

 

“Start this off with iron tail!” Ash shouted, and Pikachu ran full speed towards Meowth with his tail glowing silver. Shockingly, Meowth was able to dodge the attack in the nick of time, and attempted to counteract with fury swipes. _Hmph, might as well finish off my league debut wit a classic!_ Ash had the same idea, and yelled out another command to Pikachu, “Use thunderbolt!” In that moment, it was a flash of deja vu for everyone. Pikachu formed an electrifying bolt of lightning, which brutally electrocuted Meowth, just like hundreds of times prior. The force of the attack was so powerful, it was inevitable that Meowth would be blasted off into the sky… some things never change.

 

“Looks like Meowth is blasting off alone!” the ex-Team Rocket member cried as he flew from the battlefield into the stands, fainting as he said these words.

 

Rhia observed the spectacle and noticed Meowth heading in Jessie, James, Brock, and Misty’s direction. The audience gasped and covered their eyes in horror, concerned for Meowth’s well being, unknowing that he’s survived this same incident countless times before.

 

“Quick! Catch him!” Rhia shouted to her friends in the stands. James instantly jumped into the air and caught Meowth mid-flight, saving him a few aches and pains from the potential crash.

 

Meowth groggily opened his eyes and groaned, “Tanks Jimmy, you’re a real pal.” He attempted to regain consciousness as quickly as possible; Meowth didn’t want to miss his feline love’s time to shine in this battle.

 

“Well Rhia, we’re both down to our last Pokemon,” Ash stated with a grin, “which are both the first Pokemon we ever caught! Why do I have a feeling you did this on purpose?”

 

“Hah! You caught me,” Rhia chuckled. Both Meowth and Brock’s stomachs dropped; was she really about to admit her _own_ plan? Or switch it up at the last minute? This girl was utterly unpredictable. Rhia continued, “I did do this on purpose! Beauty told me she wanted another chance to defeat Pikachu.” Brock and Meowth let out a sigh of relief.

 

On the outside, Ash was overflowing with confidence. However on the inside, he was worried and extremely nervous. He couldn’t stop replaying in his mind the scene at the Pokemon School a few years back, where he first met Rhia and asked her for a battle. Sure, he’s trained long and hard since that day of defeat, but he couldn’t shake the thought that Beauty would knock out Pikachu in one swift attack once again. Ash shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and came up with a spontaneous strategy.

 

Rhia bent down to pet her precious Delcatty, and she communicated to her Pokemon without a word. _I know you can defeat Ash’s Pikachu right away, dear, but remember what we discussed. You have to go easy on him. Let’s play this out as long as possible…. utilize your defense and hold back on attacking._ Beauty purred in affirmation at her trainer’s words. Rhia turned back to the stands where her friends were sitting. “Meowth! Don’t do anything reckless, please. Beauty will be okay, I promise.” Meowth nodded his head in stern agreement.

 

“Both of our contestants are down to their last Pokemon!” the announcer verbalized, “This has been an incredible match so far, who will be crowned champion? Stay tuned, as we are just minutes away from the outcome!” Every individual in the audience was on the edge of their seat.

 

“Alright Beauty, time to take the stage!” Rhia shouted with pride, “We’ll start with thunderbolt, for Meowth’s sake!” Hearing that it was time for vengeance on her Poke-lover’s defeat, Beauty generated a giant flash of lightning that immediately struck Pikachu. Due to the electric mouse’s strength and type advantage, the attack had a very minor effect.

 

“Nice try, Rhia!” Ash bellowed, “Now Pikachu, quick attack!” Pikachu’s speed slightly exceeded Beauty’s, so she didn’t get an opportunity to dodge the physical attack. Pikachu smacked right into Beauty, knocking her off her feet.

 

“Blizzard attack!” Rhia shouted, and Beauty pushed a whirling cyclone of snow right in Pikachu’s direction. In an instant, Pikachu was frozen solid. Yet another moment of deja vu… except this time, the goal was not to kidnap Pikachu and hand him over to Team Rocket.

 

“Oh no, Pikachu!” Ash shouted, feeling his hopes of winning being frozen in place.

 

Jessie and James embraced one another with Meowth in between them, and began to dance and cheer; their best buddy had won the match! ….Or so they thought.

 

 _Oh no, this wasn’t supposed to happen!_ Rhia thought to herself. _I have to think of something…_ The Pokemon Master quickly analyzed her options and thought of a solution. “Now, use flame wheel!” Beauty already knew to hold back on attack power, so she launched a sphere of flames just hot enough to melt the ice. _Okay, no more blizzard attacks._

Pikachu was still in great condition even after being frozen solid. Ash glanced at Rhia, slightly puzzled. _Why would Rhia just unfreeze Pikachu?_

“I didn’t want this battle to be over so soon, this is too much fun!” Rhia shouted to Ash with a convincing smile.

 

“That’s what I figured,” Ash responded, “Alright Pikachu, use volt tackle!” Beauty was barely able to dodge Pikachu this time around. The final round between Rhia’s Delcatty and Ash’s Pikachu continued in this manner for a long while. Each Pokemon throwing powerful attacks at the other, the victim dodging each attack the majority of the time. The impeccable speed and power of both of their Pokemon kept the audience on edge. Over the duration of the battle, both Beauty and Pikachu grew tired and felt their energy dwindling with every turn.

 

Ash noticed Beauty looking slightly drained and it’s attack power decreasing. _This is our chance; it’s a bit of a longshot, but I think we can do it._ “Okay Pikachu… it’s time for us to win. Finish this match with thunder!” This was certainly Pikachu’s most powerful attack. The tiny-yet-mighty Pokemon utilized every last bit of energy in his body and exerted it into a giant cloud ominously floating above the battlefield. Beauty had absolutely no way, no time, to avoid this attack. An enormous, yellow and blue bolt of lightning struck Beauty head-on, and the execution of this move zapped her into paralyzation. The entire audience watched in anticipation, Jessie and James biting their tongues. Beauty tried to stay up and continue to fight, but she toppled over and fell unconscious. The battle was over.

 

“Delcatty is unable to battle, Ash and Pikachu are the winners!” the announcer said as the audience erupted into cheers and applause. Ash stood in place.

 

He whispered quietly to himself, “I… I won? We won the Pokemon League..?” Pikachu looked equally surprised as his best friend. Ash snapped out of his shock and smiled as big as he possibly could. His life dream, to become a Pokemon Master, had finally happened. After all the losses in Pokemon League championships across several regions, he had finally won, right here in his hometown. Pikachu bolted towards Ash and jumped into his arms, smiling and giggling. Ash hugged his Pokemon and thanked him, “You’re the best, Pikachu. I couldn’t have done this without you buddy. We did it… we really did it!!”

 

Misty and Brock gave their old friend Ash a standing ovation, applauding and cheering his name. Meowth sat in James’ lap smugly with his arms crossed. He knew this was going to happen, but he still wasn’t pleased with the outcome. Jessie and James, however, felt their heart’s shatter within them. Although it wasn’t their defeat, they still felt as if they lost. The couple was in complete disbelief that the twerp had won against their best friend; the strongest Pokemon trainer they’ve ever known. This was the biggest turn of events the duo had ever experienced, Jessie and James had no clue what to say or how to feel.

 

As Beauty slowly opened her eyes, Rhia bent down to her Pokemon’s level, “You did it, Beauty. I know we didn’t win, but everything worked out just as we planned. You’re the best!” Beauty smiled at her trainer half-heartedly and used her last bit of strength to regain her footing.

 

Rhia waltzed in Ash’s direction with a forced smile on her face. With Pikachu perched on his shoulder, Ash reached out his hand to shake Rhia’s as a sign of good sportsmanship. Instead of shaking his hand, Rhia pulled Ash into a big bear hug. At this unexpected gesture, Ash’s face turned tomato red. “Congratulations, Ash,” Rhia whispered quietly to him, “or should I say, fellow Pokemon Master.” She released him from the embrace, “Lunch is on me, let’s meet at noodle shop in Pallet Town after this,” Rhia turned on her heel and walked back to her end of the battlefield, blowing kisses around to the audience on her way out.

 

Ash was still frozen in place, blushing, as the Pokemon League director approached him with a trophy. Pikachu tapped Ash on the side of his head, breaking him from his trance. He snapped back to reality and accepted the giant, golden trophy as well as an award certificate. As the audience members shuffled out of the stadium, Ash released all of his Pokemon out of their pokeballs. While he stood there, basking in the glory of victory and his greatest dream coming true with all of his Pokemon pals by his side, time seemed to have stopped. Ash wanted to live this moment forever.

 

_Dreams do come true, and this one was certainly worth the wait._


	2. Dream-Weaver

** Chapter 2: Dream-Weaver **

The former Team Rocket members waited somewhat impatiently at the gates of the Pokemon League stadium for their unsuccessful friend to emerge. Both Jessie and James had their eyes fixated on the ground, almost in a trance of disappointment. Meowth paced back and forth, anxiously awaiting to see his feline companion. The scratch-cat glanced up for a moment and noticed a smiling Rhia walking through the front door approaching them. When she noticed her friends, her smile became even brighter.

 

“Jessie! James!” the pink-haired girl shouted as she sprinted towards them. Beauty trotted alongside her, heading straight for Meowth.

 

“Aye look,” Meowth pointed, “there dey are!” He began sprinting in Beauty’s direction, while the humans forced back dramatic tears. _How can she be so happy even though she just lost the most important battle of her life?_ As the couple thought this, Rhia tackled them into a hug at full-speed, nearly knocking them to the ground.

 

“Thank you guys so much for coming! I was so worried about calling you on such short notice… We’ve just been so busy lately,” Rhia continued to ramble excitedly, “Anyways, did you guys see Meowth kick Charizard’s ass? It was incredible! Oh, and by the way, we have to…” Rhia paused for a moment and studied the expressions on James and Jessie’s faces. They looked disheartened, and hadn’t uttered a single word so far. “Guys? What’s wrong?” Rhia asked softly.

 

Jessie and James glanced at one another, then turned their eyes to Rhia. “Isn’t it obvious? You lost to the twerp,” Jessie responded disappointedly.

 

“You’re the only one of us who’s ever single-handedly defeated that Pikachu,” James added, “Now, nobody can say they’re strong enough to defeat it.”

 

Meowth, oddly enough, stayed out of the human’s business for the duration of this conversation thus far, as he was too busy congratulating his love on a job well done. However, something about James’ whining irked him. “Hah, real funny Jimmy,” Meowth smirked, “Dat’s a crock ‘a bullshit.” The lavender haired man’s eyes shot wide open at hearing Meowth’s explicit and unprovoked response.

 

“ _Language_ , Meowth!” Jessie interrupted, “but.. what do you mean by that anyways?” Rhia giggled before she elaborated on the talking cat’s comment.

 

“To be honest with you, I lost on purpose,” Rhia said bluntly with a proud grin plastered on her face.

 

“WHAT?!” James shouted, his voice rising to an abnormally high octave.

 

“Why the hell would you lose on purpose? _Especially_ to that twerp?!” Jessie yelled, raising a fist upwards.

 

“Well, it’s quite simple actually,” Rhia exhaled. “You see, we ran into Ash in Pallet Town while I was doing some extra training for the Pokemon League. I suggested that he should give it another shot, and whaddaya’ know… a month later I find out that it was gonna be him and I battling in the championship round. It took a lot of consideration to make the sacrifice I did… but it was worth it. Because of how much trouble I caused him way back when stealing Pikachu and all, I figured I had to repay him somehow... so I let him win.”

 

James wasn’t having it. “But we ALREADY repaid him!” he shouted, startling Jessie standing next to him, “Don’t you remember taking him to Team Rocket headquarters and getting his Pikachu back? With NOTHING in return?!”

 

“James is right,” Jessie added, “We’ve already done more than enough for that twerp! And you had the audacity to lose to him and make us all look like fools! I would never think you, Rhia, the strongest Pokemon master, would do something so STUPID!”

 

Rhia didn’t understand how her friends could be so heartless and selfish. She wasn’t too thrilled about losing either, and definitely didn’t enjoy being called stupid. “What the hell you two?! What’s your deal!?” Rhia shouted back as she lunged closer towards Jessie and James.

 

Meowth was no stranger to these types of arguments. Although the four of them were extremely close, they still had their fair share of fights every now and then. Only a few have been physical in recent years, but that didn’t stop Meowth from recalling a flashback from a certain day shopping at the mall. Both Jessie and Rhia had their eyes on a certain pair of sparkling high-heeled pumps decorated with black diamonds. From hearing the news that there was only one pair left, the two ladies sprung into a cat-fight over the shoes, right in the middle of the shop. It took himself, James, Beauty, Wobbuffet, and even Rhia’s giant Groudon, King, to break up the tussle. Even though Jessie and Rhia decided to share the shoes in the end, Meowth still wasn’t too keen on breaking up another domestic between these ridiculous humans.

 

“Our problem?!” Jessie yelled out, “You’re the one who seems to have lost their mind!” Rhia took a deep breath and crossed her arms, trying her best to stay calm. It  was going to be a task explaining her reasoning to her hard-headed friends. Suddenly, Meowth interrupted.

 

“Chill out Jess,” the talking-cat chimed, “and same ta’ you Jimmy. Unlike you twos, I completely understand where Rhia’s comin’ from wit all dis. She’s just helpin’ everyone make their dreams come true. Wit givin’ Pikachu to da boss, we got filthy stinkin’ rich. Dat’s what _we_ wanted. Da twerp became a Pokemon master. Dat’s what _he_ wanted. Good for him! What he does ain’t our problem anymore.”

 

Rhia felt relieved, Meowth took the words right out of her mouth. She added, “Yeah, Meowth’s definitely right about that. Ash isn’t a threat to you guys anymore, to any of us. He hasn’t been for years. I understand you guys never really got along with him, but he doesn’t need to stay your enemy. And in regards to the battle, it was _my_ choice. We’ll always be friends, and we’ll always be a team. But we still need to make our own decisions, and loosing was my choice to make. My conscience would never forgive me if I didn’t make this happen for him.”

 

Deep down, James understood Rhia’s sacrifice. After all, he _was_ the one who convinced his teammates to steal back Pikachu from Giovanni originally. To have their own dramatic grand finale, of course, but also slightly for the twerp’s sake. “Oh,” he said mockingly with his arms crossed, “so now you’re the one who just makes everyone’s dream a reality? Well… you’re doing a pretty good job!” James couldn’t pretend to be angry any longer.

 

Jessie sighed loudly as she tried to put her own emotions aside, “Ugh, I guess that dream-weaver nonsense kinda makes sense. After all, _you’re the losers_. Not us,” she said sarcastically to Meowth and Rhia, “But seriously… you caught me off guard with that ice beam!”

 

“Yeah! Way to show the twerp who’s boss,” James commented.

 

“Hey! Speaking of the twerp,” Rhia intervened, “I told him that we’d all meet up for lunch at the noodle shop in Pallet after this. They’re probably on their way already, we should get going!”

 

Jessie, James, and Meowth groaned in unison. “But I’m not hungry... I’d rather go back home,” James whined, and Jessie and Meowth shot him a stern look. Sure, Rhia’s ‘random acts of kindness to twerps’ today were definitely aggravating them, but they practically owed their lives to their old pal. They _could_ still be chasing Pikachu and the twerp brigade around, sleeping on park benches, and living off pennies. Complaining about having a peaceful luncheon seemed ridiculous once they considered their past life.

 

“Oh, and guys…” Rhia commented as her and the ex-villains walked to their parked car, “Please, for the love of Arceus, don’t say anything about me letting Ash win. Brock already knows, so nobody else needs to.”

 

Jessie smirked, “Of course _Brock knows,_ ” she said mockingly. Rhia blushed and pushed Jessie’s shoulder playfully.

 

* * *

 

 

Brock, Misty, and Ash arrived to the noodle shop at nearly the same time as the former villains. They figured the Rockets would be late (which turned out to be a correct assumption), so they took a detour to visit Ash’s mother, Delia, after her son’s victory. The large group of ten, counting the humans and Pokemon who refused to stay in their pokeballs, were seated at a round table in the center of the eatery. This brought back memories to the last time the ‘heroes and villains’ were all together: putting aside their differences, making sacrifices, working side-by-side, and dealing with life’s dramatic changes. Little did they know, their lives were about to flip-turn upside down yet again.

 

As the waiter brought everyone their drinks, Rhia dictated a toast. “To Ash,” she cheered as she raised her glass of iced tea into the air, “for making his dream come true and becoming a Pokemon master!” Misty and Brock smiled, following suit of Rhia’s kind gesture. Jessie, James, and Meowth lifted their glasses a mere inch above the table, which was met with a glare and a swift-knee kick under the table from Rhia. James and Meowth reluctantly lifted their drinks, while Jessie returned Rhia’s kick. The tension at the table could be cut with a knife.

 

“We’re all so proud of you, Ash,” Misty said with a grin, “But how do you feel Rhia? You seem so cheery even though you lost.”

 

“I’m feeling just fine!” Rhia said happily, “I already have one league victory under my belt, this loss is no setback; just a learning experience. And I’m glad my opponent got to be Ash. He’s a great trainer and he totally deserved to win our battle!”

 

James giggled to himself, “Hehehe, did he now? Tell us Rhia, what’s the real reason the twerp-” he didn’t get the opportunity to finish. Jessie had lunged across the table and covered James’ blabbermouth mid-sentence with her hand to keep him from spilling the beans. Everyone’s head shot in the couple’s direction, but not because of James’ comment. A shining, glistening object on Jessie’s finger grabbed all of their attention simultaneously… especially Misty’s.

 

“Wow, look at that ring!” Misty fawned as her eyes lit up. The redhead reached for Jessie’s hand to further examine the piece of jewelry. On Jessie’s left ring finger, was a large sapphire stone with small diamonds encrusted around it, attached to an expensive looking silver band. Rhia leaned in close to examine the ring as well; her and Misty were completely entranced by the beautiful gem. Jessie gritted her teeth as the girls rotated her hand to get a better view.

 

“It’s gorgeous!” Rhia squealed as she put her hands up to her cheeks. Meanwhile, James shuffled in his chair, and Meowth noticed his friend’s awkward demeanor. The cat studied him for a moment, and an oddly similar ruby red jewel caught his eye.

 

“Aye look,” Meowth pointed at James’ hand, “Jimmy’s got one too!” Instantaneously, the Pokemon seated at the table peered in close to check out the other ring. This one was exactly like Jessie’s; only a ruby stone instead of a sapphire. Same sparkling diamonds, same fancy silver band. While two-thirds of the table were distracted by expensive gems, Ash curiously turned to Brock.

 

“What’s all the buzz about these rings?” Ash questioned his older and wiser friend. Brock and Ash were polar opposites when it came to knowledge on affairs of the heart. The others seemed to be clueless as well; merely distracted by a shiny object. Brock smirked, because he was the only one who really understood the _true_ buzz regarding the rings.

 

“I think we’re about to find out,” Brock whispered to Ash. As the ladies and Pokemon fangirled over the diamonds, James and Jessie grew extremely uncomfortable. _This isn’t how they were supposed to find out,_ the couple thought simultaneously. Brock took notice to their embarrassment and figured they’d need some sort of icebreaker to… break the news.

 

“Hmm, matching rings, huh?” Brock smiled as he put his hand up to his chin, “Why’d you two decide to get those? They look expensive!” The couple instantaneously lost all coloration in their faces and glanced nervously at one another.

 

“Well...um.. We…” James tried to explain, but the overwhelming pressure held him back.

 

“You see, it’s a funny story really…” Jessie trailed off, as she attempted to stall giving an answer.

 

“Wob-buffet!” the blue Pokemon chimed enthusiastically. Wobbuffet must have known something the others didn’t, and the Pokemon were the only ones who understood. As soon as the mouthy blob spoke, Pikachu and Beauty gasped and their mouths fell agape. Meowth took a sip of his soda at the wrong time once again, because the shocking statement from his good pal Wobbuffet made him do a spit-take across the table.

 

“WHAT??!! Run dat by me again!” Meowth sprung up from his seat, eyes wide in complete astonishment.

 

“Uh, can you translate please?” Ash confusedly asked the startled group of Pokemon, mainly directed towards Meowth.

 

“If Wobbuffet ain’t pullin’ our legs… ‘den Jessie and James are gettin’ married!” The couple’s faces turned beet red with embarrassment, as they felt the intrigued stares from everyone at the table intensify a thousand times over.

 

“MARRIED?!?!” screamed Rhia, Ash, and Misty simultaneously. “What?! Since when? And WHY didn’t you tell me sooner?!” Rhia continued to shout.

 

“Tell _yous?!”_ Meowth interrupted, “I been best buddies wit ‘dese buffoons for years! And I’m just _now_ gettin’ da news?!”

 

“I can’t believe it!” Misty yelled, “Who proposed? And why do you both have a ring? I thought only the woman is supposed to have a ring,” she turned to Brock, who was more than likely able to answer her questions. Jessie and James kept silent, irritation towards the others increasing rapidly.

 

“Is there gonna be a wedding?” Ash asked his former enemies; half inquisitively, half teasingly. “If there is, where’s it gonna be? And what kind of food are you gonna serve?”

 

“And are we all going to be invited or what?!” Brock added even more fuel to the fire. Due to the influx of _stupid_ questions, James and Jessie grew quite agitated with both the twerps and their friends. The attention was completely on them, and the couple certainly did not plan on explaining this bit of their personal life to the world so soon.

 

“You and your big mouth!” Jessie angrily shouted at her Pokemon, “Why’d you have to go and say something?” Wobbuffet stared dumbfoundedly at Jessie, looking quite pleased with himself. Meanwhile, James grasped every ounce of courage he had to quell his nerves and explain everything.

 

“Will you SHUT UP with the questions?” James bellowed, startling everyone in the process, “One at a time!” He took a deep breath, “Yes, Jessie and I are… er, preparing to tie the knot.” James still cringed at the thought of the word _engaged._

 

“Listen Meowth, Rhia…” Jessie said, “We didn’t want you guys to find out this way! We were planning to tell you, but at the right time.”

 

James continued, “We only decided this recently, come to think of it. About four months ago. Jess and I were out at a local jewelry store just browsing around,” Jessie rolled her eyes, “and we came across this absolutely _fabulous_ pair of matching rings. I certainly- um… I mean _we,_ certainly had to have them.” The couple carried on telling the details everyone oh-so-desperately wanted to hear...

 

_It was a typical Friday afternoon for Jessie and James. Running a Pokemon daycare facility out of their own home was quite a workload, and the couple only had one full day off  per week to enjoy together, which was their beloved Friday. The ex-villains had adopted to this sort of “domesticated” life relatively quickly, and they sure enjoyed the fruits of their labor. They worked hard, partied harder, and lived lavish right by each other’s side. Life finally felt truly blissful and free. This particular day, however, James and Jessie were out at the local shopping mall browsing around (which typically meant going to buy completely unnecessary amounts of clothes and makeup). The couple stumbled across a jewelry store named“Karats of Kanto” that had recently opened, and immediately noticed the outrageously high price tags on every single accessory. The glance they shared said it all, “This is our kinda store!” As they made their way past dozens of sparkling diamonds in glass cases, James walked up to an enclosure in the center towards the back of the store. Inside of it was the most flawless pair of dual rings; one ruby, one sapphire, both stones encrusted with diamonds all around them, laying atop a high-quality silver band. James instantly fixated his attention upon these gorgeous rings, he knew he had to have them._

_“James, what are you just standing there staring at?” Jessie approached her companion from behind, and noticed the prized jewels herself, “Oh… my… goodness! Those are the most beautiful pieces of jewelry I’ve ever seen in my life! I gotta have them, won’t you buy them for me James? Pretty please?”_

_James snapped, “Hey girlfriend, back off! I saw them first!”_

_“Excuse me? Who do you think you’re talking to?!” Jessie defended, “So, you’re telling me that you want both those jewels for yourself? That TOTALLY isn’t fair, I want at least one of them, if not both!”_

_James sighed. Although he did spot the rings first, he knew Jessie would never let him live peacefully if she didn’t receive one. After all, neither of them had ever seen gemstones sparkle as brightly as these did… Bing. The lavender-haired man felt a foolproof idea pop into his head, “Jessie dear,” he said softly, “Even if we wanted to buy the rings today, we couldn’t! I left our debit card back at home, all I have on me right now is my credit card.”_

_Jessie frowned, “You’ve got to be kidding! Our dinner reservation is in an hour, and the store will be closed by the time we drive all the way home and back!”_

_“I’ll come and buy them first thing tomorrow, I promise! But in the meantime… go grab us some Pokebucks,” James handed Jessie his credit card, “I’ll take a chai tea latte, you can have whatever you’d like. I wanna stay here and talk to the jeweler.” Jessie reluctantly headed towards the coffee shop, leaving her partner- in-crime inside the jewelry store by himself. Once she was out of sight, James smirked, then approached one of the shop assistants with his black leather wallet in hand. He knew Jessie loved surprises._

_“Hello sir, I’d like to make a purchase please.”_

_Later that evening, the couple was having their weekly lavish dinner date at one of their favorite restaurants, “The Searing Shellder”. This eatery served the highest quality seafood and sweets, as well as adult beverages. The specific meal package they ordered included three courses; appetizers, dinner, and dessert, along with unlimited drinks. As they enjoyed their well-deserved luxury dining experience, Jessie and James noticed their alcohol intake exceeding what they had originally planned. Wine and champagne sure made the night more interesting than normal, though. Shortly after a delicious triple chocolate cake dessert, the duo paid their bill and headed out to a taxi waiting for them. The streetlights and other cars whizzed past as they sat in the backseat cuddled up together, laughing on the drive home. All of the sudden, Jessie glanced out the window and pulled herself from James’ embrace._

_“Driver,” she said urgently, “Can you let us out here please?” The car irched to a stop, and Jessie nearly jumped out of the taxi._

_“Jessie?” James asked, exiting the taxi as well,”Where are you going?”_

_She chimed back gleefully, “To the park, silly! Come on, last one to the swings is a Slowbro!” Jessie skipped her way into an all-too-familiar location; the Saffron City Community Park. This place held bittersweet memories for the two of them, with Meowth included. Countless nights were spent here when they were hopeless and penniless, where the only thing they could count on was each other. Times sure have changed since then._

_“Hah! I win!” Jessie cheered as she drunkenly adjusted herself onto one of the playground swings._

_James chuckled, “To be fair, you did have a head start. And probably more to drink at dinner, too.” He positioned himself on a swing next to Jessie. The couple rocked back and forth for a while in silence, simply enjoying the night sky in one another’s presence, until James realized he still had a small, special box tucked away in the pocket of his dress pants. Before he could fester enough courage to reveal the surprise, Jessie broke the peaceful silence._

_“Do you know why I wanted to come here?” Jessie muttered, while staring endearingly up at the stars._

_“To swing on the swings?” James said sarcastically. His witty remarks and flat jokes intensified when he was under the influence._

_“No. I wanted a reminder. You know… of the way things used to be. When things weren’t so… perfect.”_

_“You think our lives are perfect?”_

_“Not entirely, but it’s pretty damn close. Compared to before? When we didn’t know where our next meals were going to come from? Now we’re eating out at five-star restaurants, AND paying the bill for it?  Our lives have taken a 180 turn, James,” Jessie continued her drunkenly enlightened speech, “We have everything we could ever want. Great friends, a huge mansion, even our own business! Ugh, the only thing I feel like we’re missing right now is Meowth. But I know he’s okay… he was doing great last time we saw him. Traveling around Kanto with Rhia and Big Twerp and Beauty,” she sighed, “I just… feel like this is too good to be true. All of this. Like it’s one big dream that we’ll wake up from someday.”_

_“But dear, you know that’s not true,” James said as he brushed a magenta chunk of hair behind Jessie’s ear, “This is our life. It’s not going anywhere. Dreams do happen, and great things always come to those who wait. We had to wait longer than most, but it was worth it, right?” Jessie nodded her head in agreement, “See, so there’s nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.” James kissed his partner gently on the hand._

_Jessie blushed, “That’s unusual, you’re actually right for once. I’m just not adjusted to my life being so… easy. The reassurance does help, though, so thank you.” James beamed from hearing Jessie thank him - expressing gratitude wasn’t usually her strong suit, but little bits of appreciation still brought him joy all the same. A fluttery feeling awoke in James’ abdomen, and he was certain this was the right moment to give Jessie her gift._

_He took a deep breath, “Jess, I have something I want to give you,” James slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a wooden square box. The container didn’t look like a typical ring box, it had to be a bit wider in order to hold two rings instead of one. Jessie’s eyes lit up with anticipation; it was true, the woman really did love surprises. James lifted the lid on the container, revealing none other than a pair of flawless, sparkling, jeweled rings. Jessie covered her mouth with her hands and bolted up from the swing she was seated on. Why on earth would James lie about leaving his wallet at home just to buy the rings anyways? It didn’t make sense to Jessie, until all of the puzzle pieces aligned together perfectly in her head… Yet, this thought process was clearly skewed from the mild intoxication._

_She squealed, “J….James. I can’t believe it. Is this… is this a proposal? You want us to get married?!” Jessie quickly realized she sounded a bit over-excited, while James stayed silent._

 

Married. _Just the sound of the word struck fear into James’ soul. Instantly, his hand released the ring box and it fell straight into the sand, his pride falling right behind it. James cringed so hard, he nearly curled into the fetal position… Hanging his head down trying not to meet his sweetheart’s eyes, memories of a darker time raced back and forth in his mind. He certainly didn’t plan for_ this _to happen._

_“W...What?” Jessie stuttered, utterly confused by her partner’s mental shutdown, “James? Are you… are you alright? Did I say something wrong?”_

_“....Married,” James barely spoke, eyes still fixated on the ground._

_“Um…. that’s what I said… I was asking if this was a proposal.”_

_“....Married,” he muttered again, this time with small tears gleaming in his eyes. Jessie figured repeating herself would only make things worse, so she waded through the depths of her thoughts; desperately trying to find a bit of information, a blip of a conversation, even, that could help her figure out what James’ problem could be. It was a major struggle for her to put her own emotions aside to help her partner through his issue, whatever it may be. After all, she originally thought she was being proposed to, but instead practically faced a rejection._

_Bing. Instant lightbulb. Jessie vaguely remembered a certain day many, many moons ago where she first discovered a crucial part of her best friend’s past. Filthy rich family, upper-crust high life. Fiance in waiting. Scratch that -_ abusive _fiance in waiting. Not to mention the parents. The arranged marriage… No wonder James wasn’t keen on the idea of getting married. His trauma was directly caused by this, and Jessie knew that. She tried to be as understanding as she possibly could._

_“We don’t have to get married, you know,” Jessie said softly while putting her hand on James’ shoulder, “I was just wondering.” James slowly lifted his head and met Jessie’s gaze._

_“But you… you sounded so happy,” James stuttered, “You actually seemed… excited. Is that what you want, Jessie? ….Do you_ want _us to... get married?”_

_Jessie gulped, she had no clue what to say. For once in her life, she hadn’t even analyzed her own feelings; and it just so happened to be for the most important question she’d ever have to answer. “Um… well… I guess I don’t really care either way. And I don’t mean for that to sound bad, it’s just… we’re stuck like glue regardless. Married or not, I’m not going anywhere.”_

_James smiled through the pain, more ghosts of the past leaving his heart as each second went by, “Neither am I, Jess. Getting… married though, it’s... scary-” He wasn’t able to finish, because him and his partner’s thoughts were totally in sync._

_“Because of Jessibelle,” Jessie said bluntly, with a hint of spite in her voice._

_James shuddered, “....Y….Yes, that’s exactly why… I can’t believe you remembered.”_

_“You can never forget an evil bitch like her, that’s for sure. But she won’t show her face ever again. And if by chance she does, I’ll take care of her for good. It’s what I should have done that a long time ago.”_

_James knew exactly what Jessie meant, “But it’s not your problem, dear. It’s mine.”_

_“Not my problem?” Jessie said, voice raising in volume, “That disgusting creature caused you permanent mental scarring. And you think I’m just going to let it slide? No James, not me. I care about you just as much as I care about myself. I hate to say that, but it’s true. I wouldn’t even be half as great as I am if I didn’t have you by my side all these years. And_ her _,” Jessie gritted her teeth, “my sad excuse of a doppelganger had the nerve to hurt you beyond repair with no remorse. The world would be a much better place without her in it.” Surprisingly, James tuned out the majority of the hateful comments regarding Jessibelle and focused on the dynamic of his and Jessie’s relationship instead. Best friends for years, utterly inseparable. Love blossomed between them and things continued to be the same, if not better. James couldn’t imagine his life without the fiery red-head in front of him. Isn’t that what marriage was supposed to be? Commiting to that person, the “one”, for life; in sickness and in health, rich or poor, rough waters or smooth sailing. Him and Jessie had_ already _been through it all together... Encounters with legendary Pokemon, sleepless nights, drastic life changes, their most joyful and heartbreaking moments spent side by side. This wasn’t Jessibelle standing in front of him. This was Jessie, the woman his heart belonged to. He wasn’t being forced into a lifelong commitment to someone he hated, this was his choice to make. James wouldn’t be punished for making the wrong choice, because there was none.. Jessie was right; it didn’t matter if they were married or not, nothing would change between the love that they shared. Although positive change was a recurring subject in their current life, James still had many fears and inner demons he felt the need to conquer. And this was certainly the biggest one._

_Jessie’s heated, drunken rant about Jessibelle was finally interrupted by James. He picked the ring box up from the sand and dusted it off, then took a deep breath as he opened it once again, “Might as well do this right... Jessica, I love you with every ounce of my soul. Would you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me?”_

_Jessie gasped. Her heart dropped as she questioned reality, as well as her partner’s sudden shift in demeanor. She was certain James physically couldn’t ask for her hand in marriage, but this was close enough, and it all meant the same thing--- this love was forever._

_“Oh my… James, are you… are you sure about this?” Jessie asked, visibly concerned for her partner’s well-being._

_“I’m more sure about this than the night I told you we’d be the greatest team in Team Rocket history,” James giggled, reminiscing on the first promise he ever made her._

_Happy tears welled in Jessie’s eyes, “Then in that case… of course I will. I couldn’t imagine it any other way.”_

_The couple stayed at the park late into the night, discussing this crazy idea of marriage (or as James liked to call it, commitment). Both of their feelings toward “commitment” became casual, because they knew deep down in their hearts it had no real impact on the life they built together. The only benefit, really, was that business matters with the Pokemon daycare would be a whole lot simpler having Jessie and James’ finances being legally connected. It was humorous for them to think that a proposal is a do-or-die question for most couples, but for them? It was just another accomplishment. In nearly three years time, everything had changed in the ex-villains’ worlds, yet stayed entirely the same._

“And there you have it!” Jessie exclaimed after her and James finished telling the story of their so-called proposal. They left out specifics that seemed a bit too personal for the twerps to hear, but were certain on telling Meowth and Rhia at a later date.

 

James continued, “So technically, there _was_ no proposal. It was just an impulsive decision for us! Who knew all of this would happen over two silly little rings anyways?”

 

“But to answer any _other_ questions,” Jessie added, “We haven’t really started planning the wedding yet. It _is_ going to be on a beach in the Alola region, that’s for sure. Anything else we haven’t really considered yet… I guess you could say it’s going to be a long engagement.” James shuddered and Jessie quickly fixed her wording, “Er… commitment? Long pre-commitment leading to commitment? Ugh, whatever you wanna call it. I need time to plan and I don’t want any unnecessary pressure. I can’t handle stress lines on this beautiful face,” she said dramatically.

 

By this point, the noodle shop had a near flash flood from the amount of joyous tears flowing from every inch of the table. Rhia, Brock, and Misty couldn’t contain their hopeless romantic hearts, that’s for sure, but Meowth was a whole lot worse. His ugly cries attracted loads of attention from other diners; from the outside, it looked like the group was discussing a funeral rather than an engagement.

 

Meowth tried his best to speak through hyperventilations, “Dat was… dat was da most beautiful ‘ting I eva’ heard! Jessie, James… I love you mugs!” His sobbing intensified when he noticed even Pikachu was crying a few happy tears as well.

 

“I’m so happy for you both,” Rhia said as she wiped tears from her eyes, “If you guys ever need a babysitter in the future, me and Brock would be honored to take care of the little one!”

 

“HEY!” Jessie shouted, trying her hardest not to blush, “No one said anything about kids!”

 

“Yeah, give us a break. One step at a time, people,” James scoffed.

 

Ash stayed silent after Jessie and James told their ridiculous story. _Am I in a dream right now? Or some sort of weird alternate dimension? Team Rocket… getting married for real?_ All the craziness of this day so far had Ash nearly speechless.

 

“I totally saw it coming,” Misty said pridefully, “I knew you were meant to be ever since we had to work together to escape the sinking St. Anne!”

 

“Whatever, twerpette. I guess you were right for once,” Jessie sighed, not having the desire to argue her point, “Anyways, enough chat about us! That’s all the news James and I have, but what about you Meowth? How was your latest journey around Kanto?”

 

“And what about you Rhia? Twerps?” James added, quickly mirroring Jessie’s objective to direct the attention off of them.

 

Meowth sniffled, “Oh dat’s right! Dere’s a lot we gotta tell yous, too.” He glanced at Beauty, knowing they had some big news of their own to discuss very soon.

 

“Well, the whole adventure in itself was awesome,” Rhia began, “So many trainers, so many gyms, and so many different Pokemon to catch! It was like a flash of nostalgia too, for all of us. But this journey was a lot better than our previous one, right Beauty?” Beauty purred excitedly, “This time we had friends with us, Brock and Meowth are so much fun to travel with!”

 

“It really was a great year, “ Brock added with a grin, “Maybe you guys should join us if we ever decide to embark on a journey of another region! Ash, I know you’ve traveled all around the world already, but maybe the six of us can go together someday!”

 

“A-hem, big twerp, ya forgettin’ someone?”

 

“Erm, I mean _seven_ of us,” Brock quickly added Meowth into the count of all the humans, considering he was practically a person stuck in a Pokemon’s body. “And who knows Ash, maybe you could catch a legendary Pokemon too! Rhia could give you a few pointers, she makes it look easy. Haha!”

 

“Don’t rub it in,” Ash pouted. Sure, he _did_ win the Pokemon League, but his thirst for competition was still in full effect. Considering Rhia had two legendary Pokemon on her team and Ash had zero, he felt the overwhelming desire to prove himself.

 

Meowth took a deep breath, then interrupted again, “But da next time you see a rare Pokemon might be soona’ dan you ‘tink,” he smirked, “Big Twerp, open up dat backpack so I can show ‘em da surprise!”

 

“Oh, that’s right! How could I forget,” Brock said as he sat his backpack in his lap and unzipped it. Meowth leaped across the table, dodging entrees in the process. The scratch-cat peered inside and started messing with a clear-lidded contraption for a few moments. Suddenly, he carefully pulled out an oval-shaped object from the container and turned to face his friends.

 

“Ta-da! Dis little one’s ours!” Meowth was cradling none other than a fairly small Pokemon egg. This specific egg was cream-colored, decorated with an even mix of pink and brown speckles. Ash and Misty gawked over the little egg, remembering years ago when they witnessed Togepi hatch. It was such a nerve-wracking, yet joyful moment for them, even if Team Rocket nearly screwed it up. Despite the circumstances, a new life was born, and now they might receive the blessing to witness it once more.

 

“A Pokemon egg! How cool is that!” Ash cheered as he leaned in closer to examine the egg, “Where’d you guys find it?”

 

“And what kind of Pokemon do you think is going to hatch?” Misty added, trying not to think too much about Togetic.

 

Meowth blushed, then noticed Jessie and James weren’t all that interested in this “discovery”. It occurred to him that they probably faced Pokemon eggs on a daily basis, considering they ran a daycare facility. Little did they know how special _this_ specific egg was... “How about you tell ‘em, guys,” Meowth said smugly as he sat back down next to his beloved Beauty.

 

“Well, we didn’t exactly _find_ the egg…” Rhia stated, trying not to giggle, “It just sort of… _appeared_ one day.”

 

“And take a good, long look at the color of the egg,” Brock added, “That should help you guys figure out what kind of Pokemon is inside, too.” Ash, Misty, Jessie, and James went dead silent and began staring intently at this mysterious egg. The hints from Brock and Rhia raced through their minds; _appeared out of nowhere, cream colored, pink and brown spots_ … Crickets. Nobody even had a guess.

 

“C’mon, you geniuses! It can’t be dat hard to figure out!” shouted an aggravated Meowth. Jessie and James glanced in his direction, and instantly noticed some uncanny similarities. The egg nearly blended in with the color of Meowth’s fur. _Ding._ Meowth had some brown parts mixed in with his cream-colored coat. _Ding._ Next to him was Beauty, a Delcatty, who’s pre-evolution is a Skitty. Skitty is pink. _Ding._ The egg magically appeared to two Pokemon who are… in love. _Ding ding ding!_ The couple had finally figured out the obvious.

 

As they realized this, Jessie and James glanced at one another in shock, then turned their attention towards Meowth, “ _No… freaking… way,”_ they said simultaneously.

 

“Hah! Finally figured it out, didn’t ya?” Meowth said proudly, snuggling the egg in his arms.

 

“Wait, figured out what?!” a confused Misty shouted.

 

“Yeah! Brock, what’s Meowth talking about?! Just tell us what the egg is already!” Ash asked his friend, who seemed to have all the answers.

 

“This Pokemon egg,” Rhia began, “belongs to Beauty and Meowth. There’s no other explanation for where else it could come from. And the colors tell us that either a Skitty or a Meowth is going to hatch from it!”

 

“There _is_ a very small chance that a different Pokemon could hatch, but it’s very unlikely,” Brock added, “Regardless, there’s going to be a new addition to the Team Rocket family!”

 

“Dat’s right!” Meowth chuckled, “Beauty and I are gonna be da ones needin’ a babysittah’!”

 

Jessie and James looked absolutely shocked. They thought _their_ news was major, now they find out Meowth and Rhia’s main Poke-partner were expecting? Nothing in the world could top something _this_ far-fetched.

 

“Meowth… is gonna be a _parent?_ ” Jessie muttered quietly, still trying to grasp the situation in front of her.

 

“You betta’ believe it,” Meowth responded, “I’m gonna be da best dad any Skitty or Meowth has eva’ seen!” Meowth was overjoyed to be expecting a little one, while Beauty seemed quite casual towards it, as did Rhia. It was apparent to everyone that mainly Brock and Meowth took on the egg-caring duties.

 

“I… I can’t believe it,” James stuttered, finally coming to terms that this was indeed real-life, “I’m... just so proud of you Meowth!”

 

“You too, Beauty,” Ash added in, “That’s so crazy! You’ve got another strong Pokemon to add to your team, Rhia!”

 

Misty chimed in, “Don’t forget, Ash… that egg doesn’t only belong to Rhia. It belongs to Beauty and Meowth too!” She winked at the scratch-cat, “And I’m glad _you_ finally get to look after your _own_ egg. Fair and square, with no stealing from us!”

 

“You twerps ain’t got nothin’ I want,” Meowth said sarcastically with a smile, “So don’t worry about us bein’ kleptos. We got everythin’ we want and need, right here!” A wave of relief fell over the three former Rockets as Meowth voiced these words; it was true. They had everything they’d ever asked for right in front of them… great friends, an abundance of prosperity, and grand achievements in life with loads more to come. Meowth was incredibly happy for Jessie and James’ engagement, and Jessie and James were surprised and ecstatic that Meowth was going to have his very own kin. Even though they had been living life apart for the time being, the fact that they were reunited felt so, so good.

 

“You know... a year ago, I could never picture _this_ happening,” Rhia began out of nowhere, “All of us having lunch, getting along, sharing the stories of our lives… together once again. Maybe we’re all meant to be friends after all…” Rhia felt even more joyous tears coming on, so she quickly changed the subject, “But enough of this sentimental stuff. Ash, Misty, what have you guys been up to all this time?”

 

“I’ve just been training for the Pokemon League,” Ash answered, “The minute I knew I was going to be battling my former role model in the finals, I knew I had to train harder than I ever have before! After all, Pikachu and I wanted our rematch to be the best it could possibly be, isn’t that right Pikachu?”

 

“Pika pika!” Pikachu agreed with his trainer. Hearing this, Jessie let out a hysterical cackle, laughing sarcastically at Ash being proud of himself.

_SMACK!_ Rhia’s fist slammed so hard against the table, it shook everyone’s beverage. Her aggressive gesture spooked everyone, especially Jessie, who became slightly intimidated by her youngest teammate. The only person who could match Jessie’s emotionally-fueled outbursts was Rhia.

 

Rhia continued talking to Ash politely after shutting Jessie up, “Well you must’ve did a wonderful job training, because that was probably the most fun battle I’ve ever been in!” She turned to Misty, “How about you, girly? You’ve been pretty quiet today, what’s happening in your world?”

 

Misty hesitated. What _was_ happening in her world? Jessie and James are engaged, Meowth is expecting a child, Brock and Rhia just completed an unforgettable journey, and Ash won the Kanto Pokemon League earlier this afternoon. Misty on the other hand, wasn’t doing much of anything compared to everyone else. “Well, my sisters took over the Cerulean City gym a few months ago, so I haven’t had much going on lately. Just helping take care of all the water Pokemon,” she said with a disheartened grin.

 

Rhia was oddly skilled at reading emotions; from both Pokemon and people. Immediately, she could tell that Misty was very bored in her life and needed some excitement, maybe some quality time with friends too. Without a second thought, Rhia gave Misty a surprising offer she knew she wouldn’t refuse.

 

“I totally get it! There’s tons of water Pokemon at JJ&M’s Daycare, too, so I understand it can be quite a workload. Come to think of it, we could use some extra help… it _is_ our busy season. Hey, if you’re not too busy already, maybe you could come stay with us at the mansion and help take care of the Pokemon?”

 

Misty gasped, “Really Rhia? Are you sure that’s okay?”

 

Rhia added, “Of course! You’re more than welcome anytime. Mi casa es su casa!”

 

Taking care of Pokemon and staying in a luxurious home tickled Ash’s fancy as well. The Pokemon League was over, now what? _Might as well kill some time while I figure out where to go next,_ he thought to himself. Ash butted into the conversation, “Hey Rhia! Do you think me and Pikachu could tag along too? I can help take care of all the Pokemon!” Jessie and James’ faces turned white… so much for a peaceful reunion at home with their friends.

 

“Definitely!” Rhia exclaimed, “Everyone is welcome at the mansion! We need all the help we can get.”

 

Meowth whispered to Jessie and James, “Guess we’re neva’ gonna get rid of ‘dem twerps now.”

 

James groaned as he imagined the twerps staying in their home, _for free._ If he was annoyed by this, he could only imagine how Jessie felt. He turned to his girlfriend and spoke under his breath, “Jess, don’t you think it’s a bad idea for the twerps to stay with us?”

 

Jessie contemplated for a moment regarding everything that occurred that day. Here they were, completely at peace with the twerps. And oddly enough, _they_ seemed to be the ones following her, Rhia, Meowth, and James around, not vice versa. Also, the youngest member of their little family _did_ have a point earlier when she said the twerps were “no longer a threat”. Nothing about their intentions sounded malicious, and _they_ weren’t the least bit skeptical about staying in the home of their former enemies. If the twerp could trust the Rockets wholeheartedly after all the evil things they did, then maybe Jessie could do the same. One of her biggest internal challenges was opening her heart to trust others. Considering right now was the prime-time for growing, changing, and improving, Jessie didn’t want to miss out an opportunity to better herself.

 

She sighed, “Hmph… Maybe it isn’t a _terrible_ idea for the twerp squad to stay with us. I mean, we could use all the free help we can get, with the daycare and all. And these poor kids have nothing better to do! I would be heartless if I said no,” she smiled unconvincingly.

 

“Aye, Jess is right. ‘Dese twerps must have no lives if dey really wanna hang wit us,” Meowth laughed.

 

“And there _are_ seven more spare bedrooms, the mansion is humongous...” James thought out loud, “As long as you guys are alright with it, it’s fine with me too,” he grabbed Jessie’s hand reassuringly.

 

Rhia finally turned to her gossiping friends with an excited grin, “So guys, what do you think?” James, Meowth, and Jessie all forced a smile and gave their overly-outgoing friend a thumbs up; none of them wanted it to seem like they were _one-hundred percent_ excited about their newest house guests. “Yes,” Rhia cheered, “So it’s settled! Everyone can stay with us! This is gonna be so fun. And now you guys get to meet _all_ of my Pokemon!”

 

“ _All_ of your Pokemon?” Ash asked inquisitively, “How many do you have?”

 

“Close to three-hundred, last time I checked… I should probably do a recount.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter was basically a foreshadowing of a LOT to happen later on. If you're good a picking up vague hints, that's a plus lol. I hope everyone is enjoying this story so far! I sure love writing it. PS. I'm not sure if there's going to be notes on every chapter... probably not, but if I feel like there needs to be I'll add them in. Much love, readers and fellow writers. <3


	3. The Proposal

**Chapter 3: The Proposal**

“Ash, honey... are you  _ sure  _ you’re gonna be okay staying with these people?”

 

Before heading to the estate, the group of ten figured they had to make a few pit-stops on the way for any twerps to gather their belongings. The first stop was Ash’s home on the edge of Pallet Town, considering it was the closest distance-wise. Once arrived, they were faced with a concerned Delia Ketchum, who was completely taken aback by the several ex-villains being in her residence all at once. She was shocked even further when her son claimed he wanted to  _ live  _ in their home for the time being. What on earth was Ash thinking?

 

“Mom, I promise I’ll be fine!” Ash said proudly, “Misty is going to be coming along too, and Brock has been living there for two years already. No need to worry!” Knowing that her son’s first ever traveling companions were going to be by his side reassured Delia quite a bit. She still had her suspicions, though, as any mother would. 

 

“That’s right!” Rhia chimed in as Ash continued packing his duffel bag, “My friends quit Team Rocket years ago, they’re complete good guys now! And  _ my _ villainous tendencies are long gone, too.”

 

Delia sighed, being slightly less convinced than before, “Sounds... wonderful.”   _ Something feels off about this Rhia girl.  _ “So Ash, Misty, how long will you two be staying with Team..- er, them?” Ash and Misty looked at one another for the answer, but both fell clueless, so they turned to Jessie and James.

 

Jessie smiled, “Well, in my humble opinion, the sooner you  _ leave,  _ the better-...” Her sarcastic remark was interrupted by Meowth stepping on her foot.

 

“Yo, free live-in employees, remembah’? Don’t be so hostile, we ain’t corporate tycoons yet!” Meowth whispered urgently. Jessie frowned, but tried her best to change her attitude. It was going to be quite the challenge, having to be nice to the twerps  _ most  _ of the time.

 

“What she means is,” James said, “As long as we need your help, your assistance is appreciated.” Meanwhile, Ash had grabbed his small amount of luggage and looked quite eager to leave. He gave his mom a hug and said goodbye as everyone headed to the door. As soon as James reached for the handle, the doorbell chimed unexpectedly. He opened the door and noticed a familiar-looking man holding a basket of fruit in his arms. It was none other than Professor Oak, and he was surprised to see such a large group standing right in front of him.

 

“Oh my!” Professor Oak exclaimed, “Is there a party going on here? Looks like I arrived at the perfect time then!” He grinned as he handed Delia the fruit basket. Ash, Misty, and Brock greeted the Pokemon professor and chatted with him about Ash’s success in the Kanto League. Jessie, James, and Meowth stood on the sidelines impatiently waiting to leave, while Rhia had already snuck outside for a smoke break. After catching up with the trainers, Professor Oak approached the Rockets.

 

“I’m incredibly sorry I didn’t recognize you three before,” the professor began, “But I have to say, it’s quite a coincidence we ran into each other! I was planning on getting ahold of you sometime next week, but the sooner the better I guess.” 

 

The trio was puzzled why this man, whom they’ve committed attempted robbery against multiple times, was speaking to them so… nicely. James stuttered, “Uhh, come again?”

 

Professor Oak chuckled, “My mistake, I should have elaborated further on that. Ha! Well you see, I’ve heard surprisingly wonderful things about your daycare facility from Pokemon trainers all around Kanto. Once I saw your commercial on TV and realized it was  _ you three  _ running this establishment, I was quite skeptical. My mistake. Regardless, I have an important business proposal to discuss with you, if you’re interested, that is.”

 

“...Business proposal?” Meowth, James, and Jessie asked curiously. To the trio, business meant success. And success? That means more of the green stuff! Misty could’ve sworn she saw giant dollar signs appear in their eyes.

 

“Yes, but the only way I can decipher if this is practical or not is to see the facility for my own eyes,” the professor said, “What would be a good day for me to stop by and check it out?”

 

“We was headin’ on back dere as soon as you rang da doorbell,” Meowth began, “Just makin’ stops for da twerps to pack their shiii- I mean,  _ stuff _ .” The scratch-cat altered his word choice when he realized the twerp’s mother AND a potential business partner were occupying the room.

 

“And if you aren’t busy this afternoon, today would work just fine!” James added, “As long as you don’t mind tagging along for a stop in Cerulean City.”

 

“I don’t mind at all,” the professor said with a smile, “If everyone’s ready, we should get going!” The group began to head out the door, again, but Delia stopped them.

 

“Do you think there’s room in the car for one more? I’d love to check out this mansion-slash-Pokemon sanctuary too,” she asked. Although everything about this place  _ seemed  _ to be safe, Delia needed to witness herself that her son wasn’t being tricked or fooled by Team Rocket.

 

“Sure, mom!” Ash replied enthusiastically, “You can ride with us and Professor Oak!”

* * *

 

The drive to Saffron City was approximately forty-five minutes away from Pallet Town by car, not including the extra stop to the Cerulean Gym for Misty to gather her things. Both vehicles on this mini road trip were packed full; James driving, Jessie riding shotgun, with Rhia, Meowth, Beauty AND Wobbuffet crammed in the backseat. The twerp-mobile was slightly more crowded with Brock driving; Professor Oak occupied the passenger seat, while Ash, Misty, Delia, and Pikachu sat in back  _ with  _ the luggage. The ex-criminals decided to stay in their car for the duration of the second pit-stop; Misty claimed she was only going to take a few minutes… yeah right! During this waiting game, the friends figured it would be a good time to chat amongst themselves. Jessie was the first to speak.

 

She turned around and faced the backseat, “So Rhia, you gonna tell us why you ran outside like a bat out of hell when the professor walked in?” Jessie could tell something was up; maybe it was women’s intuition, maybe it was because Rhia hadn’t felt the need to smoke a cigarette all day until that very moment. 

 

“It’s nothing,” Rhia replied hastily, “I just don’t like that guy.”

 

“Well, you should start to like him,” James smiled, “He’s probably gonna become a business partner of ours pretty soon.”

 

“What the hell? Why?”

 

“Ain’t got a clue,” Meowth said, “All we know is dat he likes JJ&M’s Daycare and has some sorta offer for us once he sees da place.”

 

Rhia frowned, “I swear, if that ingrate comes into our house and tries to convince us to keep the Pokemon in their pokeballs instead of roaming free, I’ll have Pikachu electrocute the crap out of him.” The skilled trainer and Professor Oak had significantly different methods of caring for other people’s Pokemon. Jessie and James chuckled at Rhia’s savage comment anyway.

 

“Ya gonna have  _ Pikachu  _ do it? How ya gonna manage dat?” Meowth tried to be funny, but Rhia was apparently not in the mood for jokes.

 

“I’m gonna…. You know what, nevermind that! Just drop it,” she said sternly as she removed herself from the conversation. Meowth shrugged, and the trio continued discussing the possibilities of the business endeavor. It was an unspoken agreement that the three of them wouldn’t antagonize Rhia when she was…  _ like this _ . If she wanted to talk, she’d talk when she’s ready. 

 

Everybody was relieved once they arrived to the estate; finally able to stretch their legs and have a breath of fresh air. Rhia, however, sprinted towards the side gate leading to the backyard no less than a moment after she got out of the car, without a single word. The trio couldn’t tell if she was simply excited to see her Pokemon, or if she was really trying to avoid Professor Oak. They left her be, and continued leading the ‘twerp squad plus two’ into their home through the exquisite, mahogany front door. 

 

Ash and Misty recalled the last time they were at the Rocket ‘palace’ years ago, and nothing had really changed; same giant crystal chandelier, same marble staircase… but the trio  _ still _ felt the need to welcome the group into their not-so-humble abode with a classic, run-of-the-mill motto. 

 

As usual, the entire room radiated with second-hand embarrassment from the former Rockets’ completely unnecessary introduction. Right in the nick of time, Misty and Ash glanced past Jessie and James towards the back wall of the foyer. Outside was nearly a dozen Pokemon within their view, roaming around, looking lively and pleased. 

 

“Hey Misty, that must be the sanctuary! Let’s go check it out,” Ash shouted as they dashed outside, excited to meet all the Pokemon. 

 

“Hah, kids… some things never change,” Brock commented. Turning eighteen years old before his friends gave him a small sense of superiority towards them, and having a girlfriend didn’t help the cause. Brock had become immensely confident with himself in recent years, now that he was really becoming an adult and focusing on his future endeavors. The grown-ups, along with Meowth, followed Misty and Ash outside to the backyard.

 

Professor Oak and Delia quickly realized that this was no ordinary backyard daycare center… nowhere close. There had to be at least one-thousand Pokemon residing in this facility, and that was a low estimate. The enormous rear-end of the lot extended as far as the eye could see, acres upon acres of space for the Pokemon to roam. There were multiple employees in the process of filling food and water troughs, hand-brushing Ninetales and Arcanine, practicing moves in the battle arena near the garden; the list goes on. Lush, grassy fields decorated nearly the entire sanctuary, minus the large man-made bodies of water and strategically placed rocks resembling a mountainous environment. This was a haven - paradise, even, for the Pokemon. Professor Oak was speechless; through decades of being a researcher, he had never seen a facility as extraordinary as this one. Not even his own laboratory in Pallet could compare to Jessie, James, and Meowth’s self-managed operation.

 

Ash and Misty easily found Rhia in the mix; she was sitting beside a tree with nearly 100 different Pokemon surrounding her. They ranged from species, size, type, but they all shared the same joyous aura. Their trainer was home, and the reunion was heartfelt. 

 

“Woah,” Ash said quietly, “Are these… are these all  _ your _ Pokemon?” 

 

“Yep,” Rhia said with happy tears in her eyes, “Everybody! Meet my friends, Misty and Ash - they’re gonna be living here with us in the mansion!” The Pokemon cheered with glee as they said hello, and a few of them even gave the new houseguests a high-five. Rhia quickly went back to chatting with her Pokemon, so Ash and Misty walked back towards the others. They figured she needed quality time to catch up with her pals.

 

Misty walked up to the trio, “Hey James, is there anything you want Ash and I to help out with right now?”

 

“Definitely not,” James said kindly, “You just got here! No one’s allowed to work today. If you’d like, you twerps can each pick a room and unpack your things. Feel free to settle in, my home is your home!” The lavender-haired man was quite the hospitable host to begin with, but he was sure to exaggerate a bit to impress the professor.  _ Kill them with kindness,  _ James thought,  _ oh wait. That doesn’t really make sense, does it?  _ With that, Ash and Misty skipped back inside, excited to see a bit more of the incredible estate. 

 

“Come on, Beauty. Let’s go see what Rhia’s up to,” Brock said while carrying the egg in his arms. Beauty purred in agreement as the two of them walked deeper into the sanctuary lot. Considering everyone was already occupied doing their own things, Professor Oak figured it would be a good time to discuss the business offer.

 

“Wow, you three,” the professor began, “You’ve really outdone yourselves!” Him, Delia, and the former Rockets took a seat at a white round table in the garden. It was relaxing and serene, and the spiked Cinnabar Island Iced Teas they were drinking only added to the luxurious feel. “I am truly impressed with this facility and the home-like atmosphere here. It’s even better than I expected!” The professor’s praise brought joy to James’ soul; he took pride in transforming this place filled with dark memories into a home of love and happiness. “I can see why Professor Sycamore suggested we’d partner with this place,” he continued, “Ahem, which brings me to this; myself, along with several other professors would like to propose an offer to you. In an attempt to expand space at our own facilities, we want to partner with your sanctuary: sending Pokemon deposited by trainers to train and grow stronger here. From the data we’ve analyzed in case studies, Pokemon who spend time at JJ&M’s Daycare were significantly more powerful than normal, and happier as well-”

 

The professor was interrupted, “Wait justa’ minute! So ya tellin’ us dat you been secretly spyin’ on us dis whole time?”

 

“Not spying, Meowth, just research,” the professor continued, “How else would we know to believe all the hype? Anyway, the other professors and I have come up with an idea recently. Not only do we want to send already captured Pokemon to your facility, we want to you to help  _ raise  _ starter Pokemon for trainers as well.”

 

“Really?” Jessie inquired after taking a long sip of her beverage, “To be honest with you, we’re not that experienced with raising Pokemon… from  _ scratch _ .” Sure, her and James encountered an egg hatching every now and again, but the respective trainer was always present and took responsibility of it right away. 

 

“No worries there,” Professor Oak smiled, “I think your mysterious friend Rhia will have that part of the project completely under control!” The trio recalled Rhia’s avoidance of the professor earlier that day, and were puzzled how they could convince her to assist them.

 

“Wait, professor, what do you mean?” Delia asked before Team Rocket could speak. 

 

“I mean, that girl is insanely talented with raising Pokemon,” the professor said seriously, “She’s got a gift for sure, I can’t pinpoint what exactly it is... but the rumors circling within the research community are astonishing. Er, sorry to get off topic- back to business: Miss Rhia has given Pokemon she’s befriended and raised to upcoming trainers as their starter, to begin their very own journey. The only catch is, the trainer requires a pure and kind heart.”

 

James was caught slightly off-guard, “Pure and kind heart, huh? But how can Rhia tell what type of person someone is at first glance?”

 

The professor gazed towards the pasture, “If I knew, I would tell you… but unfortunately, I don’t. Regardless, her gifting first Pokemon to trainers expands their options for starters quite a bit. And having your facility partnered with mine and those of Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos, makes for diversity and expansion for trainers and researchers everywhere. Of course, if you agree to this partnership, you three will receive a copious financial compensation each month. We have to reward you somehow,” he winked, knowing the trio loved money just as much (or more) as they loved Pokemon.

 

Jessie, James, and Meowth thought about this endeavor for maybe ten seconds before saying yes one-thousand times over. Not only do they get to keep adding to their riches, but the level of status achieved by partnering with  _ official regional laboratories  _ was beyond their wildest dreams. This was certainly a once-in-a-lifetime offer. After sharing a look laced with blazing pride, the trio shouted, “We’re in!”

 

“Well, that was quite easy. Glad to have you as new members of our national research team!” Professor Oak chuckled, then began rummaging through his brown-leather briefcase. Without a second thought, he pulled out a giant stack of papers boasting paragraphs upon paragraphs of fine print. “I hate to be so hasty about this, but I already have the contract right here. If you’re ready, feel free to start signing. The sooner we can get the official paperwork out of the way, the better!” Jessie and James had success on the brain, so hesitation wasn’t an option. Immediately, they began skimming through the contract, searching for all the blanks to sign and initial. The first few pages of the agreement were straightforward and tedious, until they reached a roadblock; a page titled “Business Account Information”. After reading through this page of the paperwork, James and Jessie noticed that there was only space for one account.

 

“Hey,  _ Professor Paperwork _ ,” Jessie said as she pointed to the blanks, “What do we do about this? We have separate bank accounts and there’s only room for one.”

 

“Is there any way we can split the money equally in half?” James asked, sounding slightly worried.

 

“Huh?” Professor Oak questioned, “I don’t understand why you two want to split the money... why not just use your business account?”

 

James shuffled uncomfortably, mentally preparing himself for the conversation they were about to have with this pair of near-strangers. Jessie gulped, “Well, you see… We were actually waiting to get married before deciding to merge our dough into one account.”

 

“Heh… taxes can be a pain, can’t they?” James squeaked, barely able to utter these words. 

 

“Wait... what?!” Professor Oak shouted as he nearly bolted up from his chair, “You mean to tell us that you two aren’t  _ already  _ married? Oh, dear me… I was very mistaken. I thought for sure you were married this entire time!”

 

“Wow… I agree with you professor,” Delia commented, “The chemistry between Jessie and James has always been obvious!” Her, Meowth, and the professor chuckled, making the ‘engaged’ couple embarrassed beyond belief.

 

“Why does EVERYONE say that?!” Jessie shouted, slamming her fist onto the table, “Clearly none of you are good at keeping your noses out of our business!” James tried his absolute hardest to tune out this portion of the discussion in order to keep his composure. 

 

“I’m sorry for prying into your personal life, Jessie,” Professor Oak said camly, “However, for this portion of the contract it’s necessary. Unfortunately, it is beyond our legal abilities to split your monthly stipend between more than one account… So we have two options. One, you can assist us free of charge until you decide to-”

 

“We AIN’T workin’ for free!”

 

“...Okay. Then Jessie, James, have your wedding and we will begin the partnership agreement as soon as your finances are tied,” the professor stated annoyedly. He instantly knew it was going to be a bit of a struggle coming to a compromise between these traditionally argumentative friends. 

 

“Meowth!” James whined, “We didn’t even get to hear the first option!”

 

“James is right, maybe  _ that  _ one doesn’t involve having to rush months of wedding planning!” Jessie added frantically.

 

“Ugh, so much for our long pre-commitment... Do you even  _ realize  _ how stressful this is going to be?”

 

“My poor, beautiful face! How can I look great in a wedding dress when I’m covered with wrinkles?!”

 

Meowth was quickly growing tired of his human partners’ excuses and negations. Their hard-headedness has caused the trio tremendous amounts of trouble over the years; along with missed opportunities and simple errors in foolproof plans. Meowth contemplated the loads of success sitting right in front of them, calling their names… and all they needed was a marriage certificate. Or more literally, joint finances  _ from  _ the marriage certificate. This was a three-way decision, as Meowth was just as big of a business shareholder as Jessie and James. It  _ was  _ his million-dollar idea, after all…

 

“Kay, time out!” Meowth yelled, sounding very aggravated, “Yo, Poke-prof, Twerp Mama, can I get some privacy ta chat wit my two numbskull buddies for a sec?” Delia and Professor Oak respectfully stood up from the table and headed towards a group of Sunflora hanging out in the flower garden.

 

“What’s your deal, Meowth?” Jessie questioned the scratch-cat as the trio huddled together, speaking as quietly as they could. 

 

Meowth took a deep breath, “Da deal is, those professors gotta pay us if they want us helpin’ em out. And if da only way they can do it is if you two’s tie da knot, dat’s just what ya gotta do. Dis is da best opportunity we’re eva gonna get, so we can’t take no chances!” 

 

“Well Jessie and I aren’t too keen on rushing things like this!” James exclaimed, “How can the three of us manage to plan an entire c _ ommitment party  _ within, hm… let’s say a month’s time? It’s impossible!”

 

“Did you fools leave ya brains back in Pallet Town or somethin’?” Meowth smirked, “Cause you twos are forgettin’ da extra help we gots… for free.” Jessie and James thought about Meowth’s statement for a moment;  _ extra help?  _ Ding. The couple immediately remembered that Rhia had returned home, with the original twerp squad residing in the estate as well.

 

“If you mean  _ them,  _ Rhia will be the only practical help…  _ maybe  _ Big Twerp if we’re lucky,” Jessie responded.

 

“Jess, begga’s can’t be choosa’s,” Meowth added, “We need all da help we can get right now, wit everythin’. Runnin’ dis daycare, party plannin’, housework...”

 

“I agree with you, Meowth,” James said cautiously, “If this is what we have to do to expand our business… then so be it. Success does require sacrifice sometimes.”

 

Jessie sighed, trying to feel somewhat faithful in this ridiculously stressful endeavor, “Whatever, fine. But if the twerps screw something up, I’m taking charge of EVERYTHING.” Meowth nor James argued with her on this; the alpha-female of their team always had the last word. After discussing their decision amongst themselves, the trio waved Professor Oak and Delia back to the table.

 

“So, did you three come to a consensus?” the professor asked. 

 

“Yep,” Meowth said enthusiastically, “Jess ‘n’ Jim decided dat in a month’s time, dere gonna be ready to sign dat contract, no questions asked! We got everythin’ under control.”

 

“That’s great to hear! Well you two, enjoy your wedding. Feel free to send ol’ Samuel an invitation if you get the chance!”

 

“Same goes for me, I absolutely love weddings!” Delia smiled. Her kind aura lifted Jessie and James’ spirits a bit.

 

Professor Oak looked across the horizon and noticed the setting sun, “Hm, it’s getting fairly late… I think Delia and I should call a taxi and head back to Pallet.” By this time, Ash and Misty had finished unpacking and came back downstairs into the foyer to say their goodbyes. Delia gave her son a tight hug, trusting that he would be safe and sound here at the Rocket mansion. As Misty, Brock, and Ash waved the cab farewell, the trio headed towards the kitchen to help Rhia prepare dinner for ten. 

 

As everyone chowed-down on some delicious homemade spaghetti, Jessie and James felt nervousness in their stomachs. Earlier that day, they told everyone that the ‘commitment planning’ was going to be cool, calm and collected; not a rushed, stressful mess. Not to mention, having the  _ twerps  _ help seemed wrong on so many different levels. Meowth was first to take notice of his human partners awkwardness at the dinner table, so as per usual, he took matters into his own paws.

 

“So twerps,” the talking Pokemon began, “I hate ‘ta be da bearer ‘a bad news, but dere’s been a change ‘a plans… Jessie and James gotta be married by da end of da month. We need all of yous to help us plan dis shotgun weddin’.” Jessie and James felt their faces heat up from embarrassment; Meowth never sugar-coated  _ anything. _

 

“Wow, that was fast,” Ash snickered, not fully comprehending the situation, simply entertained by Team Rocket’s never-ending drama.

 

“Yes! This is so romantic, I want to be in charge of the decor for sure!” Misty added, being excited to put her hidden interior design talent to good use.

 

“In that case, I wanna organize the guest list and make the invitations! Pikachu can help me out for sure,” Ash responded back, brainstorming ideas of all the people he wanted to invite.

 

“Hey, don’t get ahead of yourselves!” Jessie shouted.

 

“Yeah, let us have one last Sunday night dinner in peace,” James commented. However, it was very difficult for the group to stay calm after receiving even more shocking news. 

 

Being the casanova that he is, Brock’s heart began to flutter at even the talk of marriage. “I’m just... I’m just so excited to be a part of this beautiful step in your relationship! You two give me faith that my love and I will last forever too,” Brock dramatically spilled his heart on the table as he turned to Rhia. She looked as if she had just seen a ghost Pokemon; her mouth was agape and her eyes were filled with shock.

 

“Hey babe?” Brock asked quietly as he grabbed Rhia’s hand, “Are you alright?”

 

Rhia snapped back to reality, and her eyes lit up with glee, “Alright?! I’m a hundred times more than alright! This is the best news ever!” The pink-haired teenage trainer hopped out of her seat and ran towards Jessie, “Imagine the dress; the perfect, extravagant, sparkling ball gown! Imagine the red carpet, leading to…” Rhia and Jessie fangirled together about the incredible, star-studded wedding ideal they had crafted in their minds.  _ Hah, Jessie is bridezilla and Rhia is the maid of honor from hell,  _ Ash laughed to himself as he pictured the two women as angry, raging monsters. The large group of people and Pokemon continued to chatter about the life-changing day they’ve had, as they cleaned up the dinner table and headed towards their respective rooms for a good night’s rest.

* * *

 

“Shhh,” Jessie half-giggled, half-whispered, “We can’t wake anyone up!”

 

James responded suavely, “I don’t think a little bit of laughing is what’s gonna wake them up,” he buried his face into Jessie’s neck and began to kiss it.

 

It was the middle of the night, and neither Jessie nor James could sleep. So, they reacted normally, going down to the kitchen for a midnight snack. However, a ‘midnight snack’ usually entailed some late-night  _ fun  _ as well. By this point, Jessie had already positioned herself on top of the counter, with her legs wrapped around James’ waist. With only undergarments separating them, things began to get hot and heavy, quick. As the couple was about to remove their only bits of clothing, their sexual escapade was rudely interrupted.

 

“What da fuck?!” a voice whisper-shouted as the light in the kitchen illuminated the room. Jessie jumped off the counter and hid behind James, while he tried to cover both of their half-naked bodies with his hands.

 

“Meowth?!” James questioned, “What are you doing awake?!”

 

“Well I  _ was  _ headin’ in here for a drink ‘a water,” the talking-cat responded, “Until I see you twos about to do da nasty RIGHT here in da kitchen!!”

 

Jessie sighed, “Ugh, we’ve done this a million times and have never been caught before.”

 

“Whateva’, just be glad it was me and not one of dem kids. They ain’t even been here 24 hours and they’d be traumatized foreva’! Get a room, ya nymphos,” Meowth switched the light off and left the kitchen just as quickly as he came in. Once he was out of sight, Jessie and James erupted into laughter. Sadly, they had to sacrifice their adventurous habits to accommodate the younger houseguests.

 

“Guess we should take this into the bedroom, I suppose?” James moaned as he picked Jessie up, with her instantly straddling him.

 

“Mhm,” Jessie purred as she kissed him seductively, “Just don’t forget to grab that leftover pizza to eat afterwards,” the couple giggled excitedly as they took themselves (and their pizza) back to the master bedroom, consummating the beginning of another new chapter in their lives. 


End file.
